Dyess airmen undergo water survival training

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jonathan Stefanko
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Abilene, Texas --  Ten Dyess airmen attended Survival Evasion Resistance Escape training Sept. 22, 2011 at Fort Phantom Hill Lake to stay updated on water survival training.

Dyess aircrew underwent five hours of training for bail-out situations should the pilot need to make an emergency water landing.

"Aircrews receive training regularly while we (instructors) provide training twice a month," said Tech. Sgt. Gregory Bailleul, 317th Operations Support Squadron. "Flyers have enough danger to face. Our goal is to prepare our airmen for worst-case scenarios so they are ready for anything."

During training, instructors demonstrated the proper way of untangling from a parachute canopy while in the water, and also discussed the five A's: air, anchor, accessories, assist and analyze.

"This is a great experience for a real world situation," said Staff. Sgt. Sarah Parsley, 40th Airlift Squadron. "I have gone through this training twice now and I really feel prepared if an obstacle like this were to occur."

In case of an unrecoverable in-flight emergency, the crew bails out and immediately enters a life raft, making sure everyone is there.

Once the crew is accounted for, they prepare for whatever obstacle they may encounter, such as rough seas, which requires everyone to tie themselves into the raft and strap down their gear to ensure crew members and equipment don't get separated.

Water survival training proves to be an essential for today's Air Force, keeping crew members vigilant and safe in any situation and able to maintain operational readiness, said Bailleul.